Lufthansa has confirmed to FreightWaves that the cabin crew strike scheduled for Oct. 20 at two German airports is still on schedule. German cabin crew union UFO urged members on Oct. 15 to walk off their jobs at five carriers that are part of Lufthansa Group: Lufthansa, Eurowings, Germanwings, Cityline and Sunexpress.
The proposed job action follows a dispute over pay. Lufthansa and UFO have been wrangling for months over several issues, with the union protesting the group’s part-time work policy and pension plans. UFO is demanding a 1.8% pay hike over a six-month period. Lufthansa has challenged as “illegal” the union’s right to represent the workers.
Bosses at the airline group believe UFO may no longer have the legal right to speak for workers and have challenged its status in court.
The industrial action is slated to take place from 6 to 11 a.m. local time Oct. 20 at Lufthansa’s major hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. The union also has threatened future job action in the absence of an agreement.
It is still unclear the number of passengers and flights that could be affected by the strike. Previous cabin crew job actions by cabin crews at Lufthansa and its subsidiaries have led to several flight cancellations.
